The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
This invention relates to communications links. More particularly, this invention is to an untethered buoy carrying radio and acoustic transceivers for communications between surface and submerged assets that does not compromise the location of the data sources.
Currently, voice communications between a submerged asset such as a submarine, and surface assets such as ships or shore-based stations, are limited in range due to the inherent losses of acoustic transmissions through the water medium. If a radio buoy is used, it is connected to the submerged asset by an active electronic conductor or optical fiber tether. The transmission of gathered data from submerged sensor assets is not always implemented but is a desired capability that would also require an active tether. A tethered buoy reveals the presence and approximate position of the submerged asset. A tethered buoy also encumbers the asset, restricts its movement, and requires that the asset be equipped to deploy and recover the buoy.
Thus, in accordance with this inventive concept, a need has been recognized in the state of the art for an untethered communications buoy system for long-range, high-speed electromagnetic and acoustic transmission of data between submersibles and surface ships without compromising location of either.
An object of the invention is to provide an untethered communications buoy system bidirectionally transmitting electromagnetic and acoustic data without compromising the location of data sources.
Another object is to provide an untethered communications buoy system for long-range, high-speed data transfer between manned or unmanned submerged assets and surface assets.
Another object of the invention is to provide an untethered communications buoy system for long-range, high-speed data transfer between submerged assets and surface assets.
Another object of the invention is to provide a buoy system for long-range, high-speed voice communications and/or exchange of digital data files between submerged assets and surface assets.
Another object of the invention is to provide an untethered buoy system using radio links for long-range, high-speed data transmission of acoustic data between submerged assets and surface assets.
Another object of the invention is to provide a buoy system transmitting acoustic data over a radio communications link located remotely from its submerged source.
Another object of the invention is to provide a buoy system minimizing the risk of detection and compromise of the submerged asset while the data gathered during the mission is passed to the fleet.
These and other objects of the invention will become more readily apparent from the ensuing specification when taken in conjunction with the appended claims.
Accordingly, the present invention is to an untethered communications buoy system having an untethered buoy freely floating on the surface of water so as not to compromise the location of a submersible. The submersible has a cavity containing a first data interface member connected to a computer/data-storage that is connected to an acoustic transducer. The untethered buoy has a computer/memory module connected to a radio transceiver and acoustic transceiver. A second data interface member is connected to the computer/memory module and is mounted on a rim of the untethered buoy for fitting into the cavity and mating with the first data interface member. A ship is remotely located from the submersible and buoy and has a radio transceiver and an acoustic transceiver. Mating the first and second data interface members permits bidirectional downloading of data between the computer/data-storage and the computer/memory module.